YuGiOh Duel Monster: Dark Designs
by True Red Eyes
Summary: A new evil has arrived in Domino and its out to get the Pharoah. Can Yugi escape this new terror?
1. Duel 1:Into the Darkness

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel One - Into the Darkness  
  
Altogether, the four of them stepped out of the restaurant, laughing with one another. The four of them were as close as friends could get. After walking down another block, they each faced each other, smiling to one another. The blonde haired teen spoke first.  
  
"Yo! I think I'm going ta call it a night guys! See ya!" Joey began to walk backwards as he spoke, both hands slipped into the pockets of his purple jacket. The shortest of the group spoke next.  
  
"Alright Joey, see ya tomorrow!" Yugi waved off to his best friend, his spirit companion watching on with a smirk. Their small group of friends were tied close together like a chain. If a link broke lose, the others would be there to mend it together again. There was Yugi; a teenage boy who lacked in height but made up for it in heart. Many would look at him and think he were just another random teen. A very short random teen, but everyone should know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Yugi was not an ordinary kid. Unless you count being a descendant of an ancient pharaoh who lived several millennia ago ordinary. Yea, we didn't think so. The teen who had said his good byes was Joey Wheeler. Joey has had a rough background, but he'd like to think that he's come full circle since then. A true, loyal friend to the end, he'd stick by his friends to the very end, no matter what the situation.  
  
"Get home safe pal!" Then there was Tristan Taylor. Tristan is a constant companion, a true blue friend. He was always there for them, no matter what. The single female of the group tugged the ends of her jacket closer together as a cold wind swept by. She glanced down the long street before her. It's seemed to stretch on and on into the darkness. She looked towards the two with pleading eyes.  
  
"Hey guys. which one of you two are going to walk me home?"  
  
The both of them stared blankly at her for a moment. Just as Yugi turned to look at Tristan, he had already begun edging away. Tristan, noticing he had been caught, grew an oversized anime sweat drop.  
  
"Heh heh. I live waaaaay too far in the opposite direction Tea. I-I'd get home by tomorrow! Anyways, see ya guys later!!" Before Yugi could protest, Tristan had already become a dot in the distance. Yugi turned to face Tea, both cheeks burning.  
  
"Guess it's just... you and me Tea..."  
  
"Guess so. Let's go before it gets any darker!" And with that, the two began walking off. The further and further the two went, the funnier Yugi felt. He had this creeping feeling that they were being watched by something in the shadows. He didn't want to Tea, because she would only worry herself to death and probably drive him insane in the process. Tea watched her companion from behind as they walked. He was being so silent tonight. What was he thinking?  
  
"So. Yugi -"She was caught off abruptly as she was swiftly snatched up by a thin, but muscular arm. It took Tea almost half a minute to realize what had happened.  
  
"YUGIIIII-!!"  
  
"Wha?!" Yugi had snapped on his heel so fast, he almost tripped over. What had happened? Where was Tea?!  
  
"Yugiiiii!" Her voice was hardly audible the second time around. Who ever had taken her was moving very fast. With out a moment's hesitation, Yugi launched himself into the darkness, unaware of what was lurking within. 


	2. Duel 2:Prelude to the first match

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Two - Prelude to the first match  
  
Yugi's heart was pounding inside his chest as he raced down the countless dark alleyways. How far had he gone? Why would anyone want to kidnap Tea? He stopped as he came to fork. How would he find Tea? He couldn't hear her screams anymore.  
  
*Yugi.*  
  
Who was it that called him out? Soon after Yugi heard the voice call out, his millennium puzzle began to give off a dull glow.  
  
*Yugi.*  
  
There it was again! That ominous voice calling out to him. The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared beside Yugi, a look of concern on his face.  
  
"Yugi. I can hear the voice calling out as well. I can feel something drawing me closer in that direction." He pointed out towards the left path. "I think we may find Tea there as well! Hurry Yugi!" With that, the spirit returned back into the puzzle. Yugi raced down the left path, dodging random bags of trash and garbage. The alley eventually lead him to an empty, fairly lit street. Other than Yugi, there wasn't a single person walking down the street. Where was Tea? He decided he'd call out to her. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed out.  
  
"TEA?!" As soon as Yugi had called out, he heard her call out behind him.  
  
"Yugi!" He voice called out from behind him. When Yugi turned about, he noticed that from behind, most of the street lights were shut off, which didn't grant him much visibility. He tried squinting his eyes to see if he could make out any figures in the darkness. Maybe if he walked a little bit closer.  
  
"Stop right there!" As soon as Yugi had taken a few steps forward a voice called out to him from the darkness. A few moments later, the dark streetlights lit up, revealing three figures that were standing not to far from where Yugi was currently standing. One of the figures was clad in an opened green coat. Underneath the coat he was bare-chested with what appeared to be a snake tattooed on his chest. His hair showed green underneath the light from the posts. What Yugi noticed most of all was that he held Tea over his shoulder, whom was kicking and clawing at him, but to no avail.  
  
The other figure wasn't as taller as the green haired person. This one had blue hair which was spiked back. He wore a black tank top that hugged his muscled frame tightly, with black baggy pants underneath. Both of his wrists were wrapped with black tape. Also on his left wrist was an empty duel disk. What Yugi found most intriguing was that this person had a large black band around his head, which covered up his eyes. The one in green spoke first.  
  
"Soooo. you're the famous Yugi Motou, eh? You don't look like much to me kid. Heeheehee.. Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm known as Snake. My blind friend here is Zeikfried." Yugi frowned as he listened to his words. Well that would explain the band around his eyes.  
  
"Why have you two taken my friend?!" Zeikfried spoke up next.  
  
"Our master sent us here to test your abilities. The girl was merely meant to draw you to us. I was ordered to duel the Pharaoh." Zeikfried's Duel Disk swung out into Duel Mode; both of the holo-imagers gliding out.  
  
*Master?* Yugi turned to face the spirit of the Pharaoh. *What should we do Yami? That still have Tea!* Just as Yami was about to answer Yugi, Zeikfried cut in on their conversation.  
  
"Do not worry. We shall release the girl to you after we have finished our duel." Yugi and the Pharaoh stared at him in disbelief. * I forgot to mention* he spoke into their collective mind. *I am a telepath.* Yugi then realized that it was Zeikfried who had spoken out to him and the Yami out in the alleyway. *Do not fret. I shall not cheat during our duel. I will duel you and beat you respectfully. Come on Pharaoh.* Yami gritted his teeth and stared straight into Zeikfried.  
  
*Fine then!* The millennium puzzle began to shine brightly. In a matter of moments, the ancient Pharaoh had taken over Yugi's body, changing it to his own appearance. His Duel Disk switched over to Duel Mode. Both players slid their decks into their Duel Disks and drew their cards. Yugi wasn't sure what cards Zeikfried would play, but he had the feeling that he was in for a bumpy ride. 


	3. Duel 3:The Spirit Deck

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Three - The Spirit Deck  
  
"Let's Duel!" The two duelists shouted. Yami watched Zeikfried carefully. How could his opponent see his cards? He was blind! Little Yugi watched on along side his companion.  
  
"I'm a telepath remember? I can sense the aura of my cards." Yami glared at his opponent.  
  
"I'm holding you to your word that you won't cheat!" Yami called out. A small smile crept on Zeikfried's pale face.  
  
"I don't need to cheat. I find it better to crush my opponents with my skill. Do you think you can stop the power of my Spirit Deck? I'll go first! Draw card!" As Zeikfried reached for the top card on his deck, a burst of wind erupted around him. Wispy figures began to encircle him as he added the sixth card to his hand.  
  
*Spirit Deck? This doesn't sound good...* Yami gritted his teeth.  
  
*Don't worry Yami! As long as we believe in the heart of the cards, we can't be defeated!* Yugi tried to coach his other half. Yami glanced over to his partner, who had the look of sheer determination on his face. Though he wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, he nodded so his companion would get nervous.  
  
"I'll set one card face down" As he slid the card into the first magic and trap slot, a card materialized in front of him. "And I'll play one monster face down. I end my turn!" Another card appeared before him.  
  
"Alright! I draw!" Yugi pulled off the card off the top of his deck. Skilled Dark Magician. not a bad draw. Its attack strength was high for a level 4 monster. Yami wanted to end this duel as fast as possible. He took a moment to see if Tea was alright. She was still being held by Snake over his shoulder. She had stopped trying to break free and was watching the duel now.  
  
"Hey, do you think you can put me down now?! I'm not going to run away!" Tea screamed into Snake's ear. His thin eyes focused on Tea's, a sly grin forming on his face.  
  
"Why would you wanna go down? You've got the best seat in the house!" He patted her lightly on her butt which caused Tea to blush a deep red.  
  
"Y-you pervert! Yugi! Hurry up and beat these guys!" Yami glared at Snake, holding a clenched fist out to him.  
  
"Don't touch her, you bastard!" Snake laughed out loud at Yami's display of anger.  
  
"Heehee. shouldn't you be focused on you duel, Pharaoh?" Yami, full with rage, turned his eyes back onto Zeikfried. He pulled the card he'd just drawn from his deck and slammed in onto his Duel Disk.  
  
"I summon the Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700)!" The image of the card appeared in front of Yami. A split second after, in a shimmering light, the Robed Magician appeared out of the card, wielding a long staff. "Skilled Dark Magician! Attack his face down card! Black Magic!" The Magician twirled his staff before him, and then thrust it at the face down card. A black burst shot out of the staff and flew straight towards the card, which now revealed itself as a blue robed monk who was kneeling upon his own card. The blast crashed into the Monk, which caused it to shatter into thousands of fragments. A few moments later, the Skilled Dark Magician disappeared off the field. Yami eyes widened as he watched his monster disappear. "What has happened to my monster?!" Zeikfried smirked.  
  
"Your Magician attacked my Mysterious Guard. Mysterious Guard's special ability allows me to return one face up monster on the field to top of the owner's deck." Yami clenched his fists tightly. In his anger, he had forgotten to examine the situation better and had thrown himself into a trap.  
  
"I end my turn." "My turn! Draw!" Zeikfried pulled another card off his deck. After drawing his next card, he quickly pushed the first button the back of his Duel Disk, which activated his face down card. "I activate Ominous Fortunetelling!" His face down card rose up, revealing itself as a trap card. The image on the card was that of a crystal ball in the arms of a demonic figure. "This card can only be activated after I draw a card. I randomly choose one card in your hand then call monster, spell, or trap. If I call the card correctly, you will be deducted 700 life points."  
  
Yami stared at his hand. He had two traps, two spells and one monster. As little Yugi stared at his partner's hand, his eyes widened.  
  
"No! You have a lot of copies of the same type! It's going to be easy for him to choose correctly!" Zeikfried stretch his hand out to him.  
  
"Now Pharaoh, I choose the third card from the right. I call spell!"  
  
"Lucky guess. You called it correctly..." Yami could hear the chime of his life points dropping.  
  
Yami- 3300 Zeikfried- 4000  
  
"Now I'll activate this spell card" he pulled one card and slipped it into a card slot" Spring of Rebirth." A green colored card arose next to the trap card. The image on the card was that of a fairy perched on a fountain. "Every time a monster returns from the field to an owner's hand, the owner gains 500 life points. Now I'll summon Yata-garasu (200/100)." A small purple crow appeared out of its card and let out a sickly caw.  
  
Yugi stared at the little bird that Zeikfried had summoned. Why would he summon such a weak monster? He knew that he was going to draw his Skilled Dark Magician next. Little Yugi spoke up to Yami.  
  
*I think there's more to that bird than meets the eye. Be careful Yami... *  
  
"Yata-garasu! Direct attack!" The bird launched himself at Yami, pecking at the wrist that bore his Duel Disk.  
  
Yami- 3100 Zeikfried- 4000  
  
"I choose to end my turn. Return Yata-garasu!" As Zeikfried picked up Yata's card, the monster disappeared and his life points rose by 500. "How can you just pick up your monster?!" Zeikfried held out the card of Yata-garasu to Yami.  
  
"Yata-garasu is a spirit type monster. Spirits posses a very special ability. They return to the owners hand at the end of the turn they are summoned. Also, Yata- garasu has yet another ability. After he makes a direct attack, the opponent cannot draw a card from his deck."  
  
Yami stared in disbelief as he took in Zeikfried's words. He slowly looked down at his hand. The only monster he had in his hand was a Kuriboh. How was he going to pull this off with just Kuriboh? He had to find a way to stop Yata-garasu or he would lose the duel! 


	4. Duel 4:Yugi versus the Spirit Deck

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Four – Yami versus the Spirit Deck  
  
Yami examined the situation carefully. It was his turn now and the only monster in his hand was Kuriboh. The Pharaoh stared at it nervously, wishing it were another card. It wasn't that Kuriboh was a bad card; it was just that in his current situation, he needed a monster with higher stats. "Alright... it's my turn..." He knew he could draw and he'd have to work with what he had. Kuriboh, Dark Hole, Polymerization, Spellbinding Circle, and Shift. After examining his card, the Pharaoh devised a plan.  
  
"I summon Kuriboh in attack mode and set one card." Yami spoke as the little fur ball appeared from its card. As Kuriboh appeared on the field, wispy figures began to swirl about, which frightened it to the point of tears. "Turn end..."  
  
"Heheh... is that all you got left Pharaoh? I expected a much better fight from the Duel Monsters Champion..." Snake teased. Zeikfried turned his head over in the direction over to his partner.  
  
"Would you mind keeping your comments to yourself? I don't want you to disturb the Pharaoh during this duel. I will win this fair and square." Zeikfried spoke in a cold tone to his accomplice. Snake merely shrugged.  
  
"I don't understand you Zeik... whatever. Have it your way then. My lips are sealed..."  
  
"It's my turn! Draw!" Zeikfried quickly slipped the card on the top of his deck and added it to his hand. "I activate Ominous Fortunetelling again! I choose.... The last card on the right. I name spell card. Am I correct?" The chime of his opponent's life points dropping answered his question.  
  
Yami-2400 Zeikfried-4500  
  
Zeikfried then pulled two cards from his hand and slipped one into an empty slot on in his duel disk, then placed the other onto the steel plate. "I'll set one card and summon Inaba White Rabbit." After a card materialized next to his Ominous Fortunetelling card, an odd machine appeared before him. A few moments later, a plucky white rabbit appeared from out of thin air onto of the machine.  
  
"Another spirit, I presume..." Yami asked.  
  
"Good guess Pharaoh. Inaba White Rabbit is another one of my spirit monsters. He possesses a very special ability. Inaba! Direct attack!" Following its order, the small machine lifted itself into the air and zoomed forward towards Yami. Just as the creature was about to attack him, one of Yami's face down cards arose.  
  
"Reverse card, open! Spellbinding Circle! This trap will cease all movement of your Inaba White Rabbit!" Just as Yami spoke out, a seal of magic appeared around Zeikfried's Rabbit, constricting it. A small smile crept on Zeikfried's pale face.  
  
"Heh... Your will to stay alive and win is legendary. I choose to end my turn. As you know, at the end of my turn all spirit monsters return to their owner's hand." As he spoke, he pulled his White Rabbit off of his duel disk and added it to his hand. "Additionally, my life points increase by 500 thanks to my spell card." As he motioned his hand towards his Spring of Rebirth, his life points rose to 5000.  
  
Yami pulled the card off the top of his deck. He wasn't surprised to see what it was. He again added the Skilled Dark Magician to his hand. Little Yugi made his presence known again, appearing next to his counterpart.  
  
*Listen Yami! Don't make the same mistake again and rush into battle! Think out your moves carefully!* Little Yugi warned. Yami nodded in agreement.  
  
*I won't make the same mistake again. Besides, Snake promised he'd keep his comments to himself.* spoke Yami. The two of them glanced over to where Snake was situated. He still held Tea over his shoulder. She had remained quiet during the duel. She probably didn't want to distract him and cause him to slip up. Yami wanted to end this duel quickly, but Zeikfried wasn't a lousy duelist. He knew what he was doing and has been currently running the whole duel. It was time for him to make a comeback!  
  
"I summon the Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!" The black robed Magician appeared on the field for the second time. "Skilled Dark Magician! Direct attack!" He wasn't afraid of the face down card his opponent had set. As the Magician started its attack, Zeikfried swiftly pulled a card from his hand and slid it into the duel disk.  
  
"I activate the quick spell card, Spiritual Ground!" As Zeikfried spoke, a card appeared directly in the middle of the field. The card's image was that of a beautiful maiden hovering over a field covered with the same wispy figures surrounding Zeikfried. "This card states that if there was a spirit monster on my field during my previous turn, I cannot take damage in the following turn. Your Magician's attack is negated." Just as the magic from the Skilled Dark Magician's staff was about to fire, it fizzled out into nothing.  
  
Yami gritted his teeth as his Magician's attack was stopped. He had to try and keep his composure, or he'd lose this duel. "I set one card... turn end."  
  
"My turn! Draw!" Zeikfried shouted as he pulled off another card. "Ominous Fortune Telling's effect activates. I choose the card on the right. I call spell card!" Yami felt anger flow through him as he called his card correctly yet again!  
  
Yami-1700 Zeikfried-5000  
  
"I summon to the field my Susa Soldier!" A White haired armored figure appeared before the blind duelist. "My Susa Soldier attack is 2000, making it the strongest creature on the field. Hmm... its seems you've made yet another error Pharaoh! You've left your Kuriboh in attack mode. When Susa Soldier scores damage on the opponent's life points, the damage dealt is split in half. There is a 1700 difference between our monsters. Even with the damage split in half, this attack will cripple your life points."  
  
Yami stared in disbelief. If he attacked Kuriboh, his life points would be reduced to 850. With the way he's been guessing, Zeikfried would call his card correctly and drop him to 150.  
  
"Don't give up Yugi!" Tea called out. Yugi snapped back to reality, staring at Tea. "You've been in tougher spots before, and have always found a way to come back and win! Don't give up now!" Snake tightened his grip on the girl.  
  
"Hey hey! Keep quiet girl or I'll rip your pretty little tongue out!" threatened Snake. Tea cast her eyes in the opposite direction, away from the action.  
  
*Yugi...* Tea bit her lip, worried about the current state of the duel.  
  
*Tea's right Yami. We can't give up now! We can make it through this attack. Remember the heart of the cards!* coached Yugi.  
  
"Enough stalling! Susa Soldier, attack his Kuriboh! Divine Thunder!" Zeikfried's Soldier pointed his sword towards the furry little creature. A Burst of electricity shot fourth from the blade and rushed forward, about to hit its mark.  
  
"Reverse card, open! Shift!" As Yami called out the card, Zeikfried's mouth gaped wide open. "Shift will change the target of attack to another legal target. My Skilled Dark Magician is your new target!" The blast swerved right before it was about to crash into Kuriboh, now slamming into its new target. Yugi's Magician shattered as it was engulfed by lightning blast. "This will only drop my life by 50 points now." Yami flashed the grin he always wore when he defied defeat.  
  
Yami-1650 Zeikfried-5000  
  
Zeikfried was now the one seething with anger. He had expected to finish off the Pharaoh in the next turn. *Wait...* He told himself. He still had his face down card. All the anger he had just built escaped within the next few moments. He tapped another button on his duel disk and held his hand out to the card that he was activating. "Reverse card, open! Spirit's Invitation!" A new trap card revealed itself, this one depicting a cursed soul escaping a wretched black hole. "When one of my spirit monsters returns to my hand, you must return one of your monsters to your hand as well! Also, I gain 500 life points for my Susa Soldier returning." Both players returned their remaining monsters to their respective hand.  
  
Yami-1650 Zeikfried-5500  
  
"Hmph. Turn end." Zeikfried called out. Their was a slight bit of annoyance in his tone. Yami could tell he was upset that the duel was continuing.  
  
"My turn! Draw!" Yami stared at the card he'd just drawn. He had a feeling that he was going to try to catch him with Yata-garasu again. He'd have to summon Kuriboh again to keep him from locking him. "I summon Kuriboh in defense mode. I'll cover one card." A card materialized behind his creature. "Turn end."  
  
"Draw!" Zeikfried didn't even both announcing his turn. He was going to go for the kill. "I activate Omi-"  
  
"Not so fast! Reverse card, open!" Yami called just as Zeikfried was about to activate his cards ability. Yami's trap card revealed itself. The image of the card was that of a monster being compressed with a black orb of energy. "My card is Reduction Zone! This card reduces any and all damage done to me this turn to 1!" Yami flashed another one of his infamous grins.  
  
"Dammit!..." He pointed out towards Yami with rage. "I choose the card on the right as spell! You lose 1 point of life! I'll summon my Inaba Rabbit and attack you directly!" Both effects went through perfectly, but Yami didn't give it much thought since he had only lost 2 life points.  
  
Yami-1648 Zeikfried-5500  
  
"I'll set one card... now i'll return Inaba to hand, bolstering my life points again, which returns your furry friend back as well!" shouted Zeikfried as he snatched up his card. Yami watched his opponent carefully. Zeikfried had gotten anxious in the previous turn which, thanks to his stupid move, had now giving him a window of opportunity.  
  
"It's my turn now! Draw card!" He quickly checked the card he had just drawn. This was exactly what he needed! "I play Coins from Heaven! This card allows both players to draw until their hands have six cards!" announced Yami. Yami slipped off the top three cards from his deck, making his hand six, while his opponent drew two cards. Yami quickly scanned his new hand. *The time to attack is now!* he thought. He pulled one of his new cards and placed it onto the duel disk. "I summon Breaker the Magic Warrior!" Out of the card sprang a magician bearing a sword and a red cape. This creature was draped in red and gold armor and his exuded a powerful aura. "I'll activate Breaker's special ability! When this monster is summoned, he creates a magic counter, which boosts his attack by 300." There was a small chime as the creatures attack rose. "Additionally, I can remove this counter to destroy one of your spell or trap cards! Breaker!" The warrior readied his blade, which now shone a bright blue. "Break his face down card, now!" Breaker's attack returned to its normal state, but Zeikfried's card shattered into countless fragments.  
  
*Shit! That was my Negate Attack!* Zeikfried thought. *I've left myself wide open!*  
  
"Breaker, direct attack!" The warrior glided across the field towards Zeikfried, slashing across his chest in a wide arc.  
  
Yami-1648 Zeik-4600  
  
"Now, I'll activate another card." He slid the next card in his hand into the duel disk. "Card Destruction! Both of us will have to discard our hands and draw the same amount we've discarded!" Yami placed the rest of his cards into the card graveyard, and then picked up four. Zeikfried swore under his breath as he discarded his hand of six cards to pick up another six. Yami pulled a card and slipped it in. "I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Ominous Fortune Telling!" Yet another one of Zeikfried's cards shattered. "I'll set one card and end my turn..."  
  
Zeikfried had lost some of his control over this duel, but he could quickly recover what was lost. "My turn... draw!" After drawing his card, he began to chuckle. "Amazing!" Yami narrowed his gaze upon his opponent. What could he have drawn? "I summon to the field Inaba White Rabbit! And now I'll attach to him my Axe of Despair, which boosts him to 1700!"  
  
*No! His monster can attack us directly, even if we have a monster!* Yugi cried. His counter-part didn't flinch as he watched what had happen.  
  
*Remember Yugi. Remember the heart of the cards.* spoke the Pharaoh to his partner. *as long as we believe, we won't lose. Have a little faith.* After a moments hesitation, little Yugi nodded.  
  
"Inaba! DIRECT ATTACK!" The spirits floating in the air were now in a frenzy. It was as if they were reacting to Zeikfried's anger. As the Rabbit zoomed straight ahead towards Yami, one of his cards rose up.  
  
"Reverse card, open! Dark Renewal!" A black coffin adorned with a magic crest, appeared from within the card. The coffin popped open, swallowing the Rabbit that had flown straight at it. Yami's Breaker also had gotten pulled within. "My Dark Renewal card will take one of your monsters and one of mine to special summon my Dark Magician from the grave!" Yami shuffled through his graveyard in search of his favorite card.  
  
"B-but... how?!...! You discarded him when you played Card Destruction, didn't you?!" Zeikfried stammered. Yami, retrieving his card, slapped it onto his duel disk. The card arose, showing all who were watching a purple- clad wizard. The card burst apart, revealing the Dark Magician, who was striking its familiar arms across its chest pose. Zeikfried quickly pulled a card from his hand and slipped it into his duel disk. "I-I'll set one card.... Turn end..."  
  
"This is the beginning of the end for you Zeikried!" spoke the Pharaoh as he drew his next card. *Perfect!* he thought. "I'll discard the card I've just drawn to special summon the Illusion King!" Yami slipped the card representing Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts into the graveyard. After discarding that card, a mysterious cloaked figure appeared on the field next to the Dark Magician. This new Monster stood at 2000 attack.  
  
*Shit! That was a special summon! That makes my Trap Hole useless!* Again, Zeikfried's rage had gotten the best of him? How could he have lost control of the duel so quickly? Now he was going to lose almost all his life points. By the next turn, if he didn't draw something good, he was going to be defeated!  
  
"Now, Dark Magician and Illusion King! Attack him directly!" commanded Yami.  
  
Yami-1648 Zeikfried-100  
  
Both blasts of magic hit their target dead on. These attacks sent Zeikfried reeling back, smoke flowing off of his body. He momentarily lost strength in his knees, sending his crashing down. He would've landed on his face if he didn't stop his fall with his palms.  
  
*I can win this duel in my next turn.* the Pharaoh thought to himself. "I end my turn."  
  
Zeikfried gritted his teeth tightly together as he pushed himself to his feet. "My turn! Draw card!" He screamed manically. He ripped the card off of the top of his deck, then placed it into his duel disk. He knew what it was. It was a pity it had to end this way. But there would be other chances to get his victory over the Pharaoh. "I'll cover one card... turn end..."  
  
"My turn!" Yami bother checking what he had drawn. Victory was in his grasp now, it was attainable. "Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" Just as Yami commanded his attack, Zeikfried tapped a button on his duel disk, activating his last card.  
  
"REVERSE CARD OPEN!" The card revealed itself as a quick-play spell card. "Price of Heroism! When you attack me with a monster, that monster will also attack you as well!"  
  
"What?!" Yami had never seen this coming. He watched in horror as his Dark Magician attack Zeikfried, then turned to attack him as well. Both of their life points dropped to zero at the same time.  
  
Yami-0 Zeikfried-0  
  
Snake stepped over to his partner's side. "Wow! I've never seen you even come close to losing before Zeik!" He cast his gaze onto the Pharaoh, a sly grin creeping on his face. "Well, you truly are the "King of Games" then, Mr. Motou!" Snake leaned over and gave a mock bow. Zeikfried remained silent after the duel, just standing there, his head pointed down towards the ground.  
  
"What about Tea?! You said you'd let her go after the duel!" shouted Yami.  
  
"Oh yeah, we did say that, didn't we? Alright then... here you go beautiful." Snake dropped her right on the ground, Tea landing on her back, which caused her head to snap back hard against the street. "Heheh... whoops! Till next time Pharaoh!" after giving a slight wave, the lights directly above the two of them went out. As Yami ran over to check on Tea, he could hear the two of them running off into the darkness...  
  
Hey, I apologize if any of you find this chapter too long. I just wanted to wrap up the duel between Zeik and Yuge. Hey, I'd like to hear what you guys think about my stuff. If you've got something to say, then drop a review and let me know what you think. Thanks a lot to those who have taken the time to read this. Till next chapter! 


	5. Duel 5:Enter Mokuba's KidnapperSol

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Five – Enter Mokuba's Kidnapper-Sol  
  
Yugi decided to ignore the two that had attacked him moments ago, keeping his attention to his friend Tea. Knelling at her side, he slipped a hand under her head.  
  
"Tea?! Are you alright?" Yugi asked in a tone hinted with despair. His friends were always getting hurt because of him. Tea, wincing in pain, gave Yugi a look full of concern.  
  
"I-I'm fine... how about you? Are you alright Yugi? Who were those guys?" Tea asked. Both of them adverted their gaze into the darkness. The two of them were long gone now. The Pharaoh rose to his feet, fist clenched tightly. Who really were his attackers? Why did they attack him? Little Yugi decided it was time to speak up.  
  
*Yami, I think we should take Tea home.* spoke Yugi.  
  
*But... our attackers...* as the spirit of the Pharaoh began to protest, his other-self cut in.  
  
*Its getting late. Tea's parents will be worried about her. We can think about this later, ok?* Yugi spoke softly. The Pharaoh nodded in agreement.  
  
*Your right. The best thing would be to take Tea home. We can discuss tonight's events when we get home. I'll stay in control for the walk home. We don't know if they'll try to strike again.* Answered Yami. "Come on Tea... lets get you home." Yami spoke as he helped Tea to her feet. Keeping close to her, the two of them walked down the dimly lit streets.  
  
Elsewhere...  
  
Kaiba let out a sigh as he put his signature on yet another document. Being the president of a powerful company at such a young age was really taking its toll on him. After his Battle City tournament came to an end, Kaiba had buried himself in his work. The last time he played a game of Duel Monsters was against Yugi at the Battle City Finals, and he wasn't happy with the result of the match. He had everything planned out perfectly... how could he lose to Yugi again?! Lost in his rage, he didn't even notice that he had twisted up the document he had just finished signing. Seto leaned back in his chair, staring off into space.  
  
"Yugi..." His name barely escaped his lips. He had promised his brother Mokuba that he'd leave his hatred buried with Alcatraz Tower. He'd have to abandon this harbored rage, for his brother's sake. Yugi is the "King of Games". Not him, Seto Kaiba, president of Kaiba Corporation. Speaking of his brother, Mokuba hadn't come into his office for hours. Where was he? He wanted to call it a night anyway; he had already put in a few extra hours. He picked up his brief case and headed for the door, straightening his purple coat.  
  
As Kaiba made his way around the building, he noticed the lack of people occupying the building. He supposed everyone had left hours ago. He searched room to room to room. Where was his brother? Did he leave early as well? That didn't make sense, since Mokuba always left with him.  
  
"Mokuba?" Kaiba called out, standing in the center of one of the offices. He was beginning to worry now. A few moments after Kaiba had called for his brother, the intercom blared on, an unfamiliar voice coming from it.  
  
*Seto Kaiba... How are you?* spoke the voice from the intercom. Kaiba immediately fixed his gaze upon the intercom, his hand clutching tighter on his brief case.  
  
"Hey, who the hell are you?!" questioned Kaiba, a clenched fist held out towards the intercom. He had a feeling that this person speaking to him wasn't one of his employee's.  
  
*I'll cut too the chase. I know the whereabouts of your younger brother, Mokuba. If you'd like to hear what I have to say, meet me in the office in the back on floor 50. I'll be waiting... Seto Kaiba.*  
  
What the hell was going on here?! Had this person kidnapped his brother? Spinning on his heel, Kaiba headed for the elevator, pulling a keycard from within his coat. This person had better not had hurt his brother, or there would be hell to pay. His brother was the only family he had left, and he loved him dearly. He would give his company to protect him if he had too. Kaiba stepped into the elevator and slid his card through a slot. He slammed his fist into the button labeled "50".  
  
38... 40... 42...  
  
Could the elevator be any slower?! Something could be happening to his brother at this moment. As he continued to ride the elevator, another thought came to mind. If this person didn't work for him, how did he manage to get in the building, access the intercom and kidnap his younger brother? He had a lot of questions, and he wanted answers. A small "bing" sound, and the elevator doors opened. Kaiba stepped off the elevator and stared down the long ominous corridor. The Conference Room on this floor was all the way in the back. He made his way along the corridor and and stepped into the confererence room.  
  
The room was well lit. It was occupied by a long sleek black table, which had a few papers scattered from a previous meeting along its surface. Sitting at the end of the table in the chair that he usually sat in was a red haired man dressed in a black vest like piece of clothing. This person had his legs atop of the table, and was reading through some files he had probably found left over on the table. Who the hell did this person think he was? Kaiba stepped forward and slammed his fist into the tabletop, glaring at the red haired figure. The stranger promptly gathered the files he was reading, made sure they were stacked evenly and set them aside.  
  
"Ah, Seto Kaiba. What a pleasure to finally meet you." Spoke the stranger. He placed both elbows onto the table and rested his chin on his hands, a sly smirk forming on his face. "I've gone to great lengths to pull this off."  
  
"What have you done with my brother you bastard?!" shot Kaiba, full of rage.  
  
"My associates have taken him to a special little place. I can part with that information, but there's something's I need done, and you're the only person who can do them." Spoke the stranger, whos eyes were gleaming underneath the light that shined from above.  
  
"What is it that you want with me?" asked Kaiba. He had to choose his words carefully. There was no telling what this person would do if Kaiba got out of line.  
  
"I need you to hold a tournament for the title of "King of Games". I need you to bring Yugi Moto to that tournament." As he spoke the name of Kaiba's rival, Kaiba's eyes narrowed. What was it about Yugi that all these people flock towards him? The Duelist Kingdom Tournament... the Battle City Tournament. And now this? Kaiba was beginning to wonder if all this talk of Yugi being an ancient Pharaoh were true.  
  
"Why do you need to tournament to face Yugi? Aren't you man enough to go face him yourself? Don't drag me and my family into your problems." Spoke Kaiba. His little grudge with Yugi had nothing to do with him and his family, but this person still had his brother. After analyzing the situation for a few minutes, Kaiba had found a way to solve the problem. A grin forming on his face, he pointed towards the stranger who had taken his brother hostage. "Tell you what. I have a business proposal."  
  
"Heh... I'm listening..." answered the stranger, both arms now folded against his chest.  
  
"We'll hold a duel right here, right now. If you win, I'll do as you all that you ask of me. But if I win, you release my brother Mokuba to me. How about it? Will you accept these terms?" asked Kaiba. The stranger arose from the chair, both hands still crossed against him.  
  
"I accept your challenge Kaiba. But I'm afraid I don't have a duel disk on me."  
  
Kaiba opened the brief case he had been carrying, revealing its contents to be two duel disks, a deck already inserted into one of them. Kaiba stared intensely at the duel disk he was now holding in his arms. It had been a while since he last dueled. Hopefully he wasn't rusty. He slid the device onto his arm, and slid the other duel disk across the table towards his opponent.  
  
"Hmm... by the way. I never got your name..." spoke Kaiba, as he switched to duel disk from standby to duel mode, the holo imagers released off to both sides of the table.  
  
"My name is Sol Knight." Spoke Sol.  
  
*Sol?* Kaiba thought as his opponent switched his duel disk into duel mode. *I've never heard of this person before. Who is he really?* thought Kaiba. Tapping a switch underneath the edge of the table, a trap door underneath the table opened up, swallowing the long black table. Moments later, a long piece of steel arose, filling up the missing space in the floor. "Thought we could use some room." Spoke Kaiba.  
  
"DUEL!" spoke the two of them, life points rising to the set amount of 4000.  
  
"I'll make the first move. Draw!" Kaiba pulled his sixth glossy card from the top of his deck, and then slapped it onto the steel plate of the duel disk. "I'll summon Ancient Lamp (900/1400) in defense! I'll cover one card. Turn end!"  
  
"My turn... Draw!" shouted Sol as he drew another card. He added the card he'd just drawn and added it to his hand, then pulled two cards from his hand, sliding one into an empty slot in the side of the duel disk. "Activate the fast magic, Quick Stumble. To activate this card," He slid a card into his discard pile as he spoke" I must discard a card. I can alter the position of one of your monsters. I'll place your Lamp into attack mode. Now, I'll summon Leech Zombie (1000/300)." Slapping its card onto the steel plate, the image of the card appeared before him, a sickly white undead creature emerging from the card. The creature had large, hulking arms, which were wrapped up. "The effect of this creature starts when it attacks a monster. It will drain half of the attack of the opposing monster and add it to its own attack." As he spoke, the Lamp began to lose some of its luster, while the Zombie grew slightly larger.  
  
Ancient Lamp-900=450  
  
Leech Zombie-1000=1450  
  
Kaiba stared in disgust at the growing Zombie. The creature lurched forward and brought both its massive fists down into the lamp, causing it to crack.  
  
Kaiba-3000 Sol-4000  
  
Kaiba held his hand out towards his damaged Lamp. "Activate Ancient Lamp's special effect. When this card is destroyed, I can special summon La Jinn, Genie of the Lamp from my deck!" A small wispy puff of smoke made its way out of the lamp before it shattered, the green genie appearing from out of the smoke. Kaiba pulled the La Jinn card from his deck and slapped it onto the plate. Sol smirked as he watched Kaiba's Genie appear.  
  
"I'll cover one card from my hand. Turn end." Sol slipped another card into the duel disk, then crossed his arms against his chest.  
  
"My turn, draw!" Kaiba pulled off a card and added it to his hand. Now he had the means to bring out one of his best creatures. He reached out for his Genie's card and pulled it from the duel disk, causing the monster to vanish in a wave of blue light. "I'll take my La Jinn as sacrifice to summon..." He pulled a card from his hand and placed it onto the disk. "My Vampire Lord (2000/1500)!" A black coffin emerged from within the card. The coffin burst open, a number of bats escaping from within it. All the bats merged together to form the slick dressed, white haired, fanged Vampire. "Vampire Lord, attack Leech Zombie! Dark Cape!" The Vampire held out his black cape, numerous bats fly out of his cape towards the Zombie.  
  
"Don't be so hasty Kaiba. Reverse card, open!" Sol tapped the appropriate button to activate his covered card, which revealed itself as a trap card. "Drain Shield! Whenever you attack me with a monster, instead of losing life, I'll gain that much." The bats changed their target, now passing through the trap. As the bats passed through the trap, they changed into small orbs of light, which then passed into Sol's body, raising his life points.  
  
Kaiba: 3000 Sol: 6000  
  
"Hmph... it seems what you lack in intelligence you make up for in skill. Turn end..." with that said, Kaiba ended his turn. "Before you make your next move, answer me this. Why do you want to duel Yugi?"  
  
Sol pulled the next card off the top of his deck and added the card to his hand. "Simple. To become the "King of Games". Why else?" spoke Sol, shrugging as he answered. Kaiba's expression grew more serious.  
  
"I think there's more to it than that. If you just wanted to be the "King of Games", you could've just challenged him yourself. What are your intentions?" asked Kaiba in a stern tone of voice. Sol laughed lightly at Kaiba's question.  
  
"You'd never understand... Seto Kaiba." Sol stared intensely towards the ground. If he had stared any harder, he would have burned a hole in the ground. *I want... revenge...* 


	6. Duel 6:Kaiba Retaliates!

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Six – Kaiba's retaliation! Victory Dragon!  
  
The memories came rapidly at him, almost attacking him.  
  
*Father!!* A young boy cried. Next to the boy was an even younger girl, who had sunk to her knees, sobbing hysterically. The scenes flash by quickly, like someone pressing fast forward on a remote. The next scene is that of the little boy at the side of his father, who was covered in red. The young child pulls his hands from his father's body, which are now dripping with blood. The scenes jumped forward again, the most horrible of all memories coming now. The child was standing before a gigantic coiling red dragon like creature with two mouths. All the boy could do was scream.  
  
******  
  
Sol shook his head violently. That horrible day... he played the memories back over and over. "Father..." whispered Sol. A few moments later, Sol had decided to put the memories behind for the moment and get back to business. "Now Seto Kaiba, its time to finish this. I'll summon Giant Orc (2200/0) to the field. "A large, muscular, snorting Orc carrying a thick bone appeared from the image of his card.  
  
Kaiba cringed as he saw the monsters attack strength. *Such a high attack for a monster that doesn't require a tribute...*  
  
"I'll have my Leech Zombie attack your Vampire. You know what'll happen, right Kaiba? My Leech will drain half of the attack of your Vampire and add it to his strength." Spoke Sol. The Zombie creature let out some odd roar like cry as his attack rose, while the Vampire grew sickly looking.  
  
Vampire Lord-2000=1000  
  
Leech Zombie-1000=2000  
  
"Leech Zombie, destroy Vampire Lord!" commanded Sol, a maniacal look on his face, like he thrived on dealing punishment. Just before the Zombie was about to smash the Vampire with its massive fists, Kaiba tapped a switch on his duel disk and a card arose. Sol blinked, not expecting a trap. "What?!"  
  
"Reverse card, open! Negate Attack! This card will negate your attack and cause you to automatically end your battle phase! Also, the battle phase has ended, so my Vampire's attack has returned to its normal state." Spoke Kaiba as his Vampire returned to his youthful state, while Sol's Zombie shrunk down in size and in attack. Though this caught Sol off guard, he shrugged if off.  
  
"It doesn't really matter. Your Vampire is weaker than my Orc. I'll cover one card. Turn end." A card materialized behind his monsters a few seconds after he slipped it into the disk.  
  
"It's my turn. Draw!" Kaiba pulled the top card from his deck and pulled it closer to see what it was. The same card he had drawn, he held it out for his opponent to see. "I'll play the magic card, Pot of Greed! It allows me to pull two more cards from my deck." Informed Kaiba as he activated the card he spoke of. Little did Kaiba now that he had just helped Sol as well.  
  
"Thank you... Seto Kaiba. Reverse card, open. Clone Magic!" commanded Sol as he activated his face down card. He could tell by Seto's expression that he wasn't familiar with its effect. "Clone Magic. When my opponent activates a magic card, I can give up my next draw phase to copy the magic card you just played." After explaining its effect, the two of them both drew two more cards and added them to their respective hands.  
  
"Heh..." Kaiba had to give his opponent credit. He was playing all the right moves and had taken the lead early in the match. But Kaiba's turn was not over. It was time for him to make his comeback! Pulling a card from his hand, he slapped it onto the front plate of the duel disk. "I'll summon Z- Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode!" A blue robot monster with cannons on each shoulder appeared beside his Vampire. "Vampire Lord! Attack Leech Zombie! Dark Cape!" The vampire bats burst from within the Vampire's cape again, this time hitting there mark, the Zombie shattering into fragments.  
  
Kaiba- 3000  
  
Sol- 5000  
  
"Now, start the special effect of Vampire Lord! When he scores damage on a player's life points, I may the type of a card, and the opponent has to discard one card of that type. I choose magic!" shouted Kaiba.  
  
Sol wasn't pleased by the certain turn of events, but in the end, he was still ahead and had the strongest monster on the field. He rummaged through his deck and pulled a magic card of his choice to be sent to the discard pile. "I'll discard this card." Sol flashed the card of his choice for a moment to Kaiba, and then slipped it into the space for discard cards on the duel disk.  
  
Kaiba, stared at the card that was shown to him briefly. *I know that card...* He pulled two cards from his hand and placed them into two empty slots. "I'll cover two cards. Turn end." If he planned this correctly, he should be able to play off his opponent's folly.  
  
"Now, because of Clone Magic's effect, I cannot draw a card this turn." Sol examined his hand. Sol pulled one card and placed it into his duel disk face up. "I'll play Delinquent Demon #1(1400/1300) in defense." A wicked looking demon child with a number 1 printed on his head appeared, huddled on top of his own card. "Delinquent Demon #1's effect begins!" The winged demon took off towards Kaiba with blinding speed. It flew over Kaiba's monsters and perched itself on his duel disk. The demon snatched up a card from his hand and tossed it into his discard pile. Afterwards, it turned to Kaiba and slashed him across his chest, then flew off back to his card.  
  
Kaiba writhed in pain from the wound given to him by monsters stinging claws. "You bastard..." Kaiba growled.  
  
"When Delinquent Demon #1 is summoned, he may snatch a card of his choice from your hand and send it to your discard pile. Then, he will deduct your life points by 500." Explained Sol.  
  
Kaiba- 2500  
  
Sol- 5000  
  
"Now, Giant Orc! Destroy his Vampire Lord!" commanded Sol. The massive demon ran at the undead vampire, holding his bone club high above his head. Kaiba, one hand still clutching his chest, motioned towards one of his face down cards, which revealed itself.  
  
"Reverse card, open! Mechanical Magic Mirror! I can activate this card when one of my opponent's monsters attacks. I can choose one magic card in your graveyard and activate it!" said Kaiba, much to Sol's displeasure.  
  
"Huh? What card do you plan on using...!" Sol finally understood. He had made a mistake a turn ago.  
  
"The card I want to activate is Seal of Power!" A bright light shone from within Sol's graveyard, and in moments the card appeared on Kaiba's side of the field. "I'm familiar with this cards effect. I can discard as many cards from my hand to boost a monster by 500 increments." Kaiba pulled one of his two cards and placed it into his graveyard. "My Vampire Lord is boosted by 500, which has made his stronger than Giant Orc!"  
  
Vampire Lord-2000=2500  
  
Just as the Orc was about to club Vampire Lord, the Vampire moved aside and opened its cape, which swallowed up the Orc.  
  
Kaiba- 2500  
  
Sol- 4700  
  
"Vampire Lord's effect is activated. I choose for you to discard another magic card." Ordered Kaiba.  
  
Sol cursed under his breath as he searched through his deck for a card to discard. Sol flashed the magic card Move Dead and then placed it into his discard pile. "You got lucky with that last move Seto Kaiba." Spoke Sol in a voice full of hate and spite. He placed a card from his hand into an empty slot. "I'll cover one card. Turn end."  
  
"It looks like your losing your edge Sol. You should have never challenged me. Draw!" Kaiba picked another card from the top of his deck, and then examined it. Kaiba stared in disbelief at the card he'd just drawn. He'd just drawn one that would lead him to victory. But he was missing one key card, and in the current situation, he wouldn't be able to pull the move off. He'd have to buy some till he could draw it. "I'll summon Z Metal Tank (1500/1300) in attack mode!" The yellow metal tank drove out of its card and came to a halt beside the X-Head Cannon. "Activate Z Metal Tank's special effect! Merge together with your brother X-Head Cannon! When Z Metal Tank and X-Head Cannon connect themselves, the Tank will raise the Cannon's attack by 600 points. Also, if the Cannon is to be destroyed, the Tank will take its place instead!" The Tank rolled itself underneath the hovering Cannon. When both were in place, currents of electricity pulled the two of them, raising the attack of the Cannon.  
  
X-Head Cannon-1800=2400  
  
"Vampire Lord, destroy his Delinquent Demon!" commanded Kaiba. As the Demon shattered, another demon took its place. This demon was blue and had a bold number 2 painted on its forehead. "What just happened?!" asked a stunned Kaiba.  
  
"When Delinquent Demon #1 is destroyed, I may special summon a Delinquent Demon #2 (1300/1400) from my deck. His effect is the same as his brother. Activate Delinquent Demon #2's effect!" The blue demon flew over to Kaiba, whizzing past the Vampire and the Machine. The little fiend plucked a card from Kaiba's hand and slipped it into his graveyard. Before the demon fled, he stabbed his spear-like tail into Kaiba's right shoulder.  
  
Kaiba- 2000  
  
Sol- 4700  
  
"Gah..." mutter Kaiba, who was clutching his shoulder in pain. He managed a glance at his hand... did he catch the right card? ... No, it was still there. He still had a chance. "X-Head Cannon! Destroy that wretched demon!" The robot warrior's cannons fired off two shells which exploded into the wicked fiend, causing it to burst into flames.  
  
Kaiba- 2000  
  
Sol-3600  
  
"Heh... the gap between our life points is beginning to thin." Warned Kaiba, a wry smile forming.  
  
"I wouldn't say that yet. Reverse card, open!" cried Sol, hold a twisted hand towards his card. "Revenge! This card will inflict as much damage as you caused me to you!" as he explained the cards effect, a spear-like blast shot forth from the card and struck Kaiba where his heart should be, causing Kaiba to drop to one knee gasping for life.  
  
Kaiba- 900  
  
Sol- 3600  
  
"T-turn... end." Whispered Kaiba, wracked with pain.  
  
"My turn... draw!" Sol pulled the card off the top of his deck then played it immediately. "I'll play Apostle of God! After I pay 1000 life points, this card will allow both of us to search our decks for one card and add that to our hand. After we pull that card, both of us must skip our next draw phase." Both players began to sift through there decks for a specific card.  
  
Kaiba- 900  
  
Sol- 2600  
  
"Heh... you're a fool Sol. You've just given me the means to defeat you." Spoke Kaiba as he added the card of his choice to his hand.  
  
"Before I continue my turn, I must confess, you really are as good a duelist as they all say. But, there's a difference between you and me. Our difference is in our ambition. I will come out on top for my ambition is the greatest!" declared Sol in a tone full of pride. Pulling the card he'd just drawn and another from his hand into empty slots. "I'll cover two cards. Let's see who made the best choice. One of us is going to win in the next turn. Turn end."  
  
*The idiot left his field wide open... meaning one of those cards is meant to destroy me...* Kaiba stared at the cards in his hand. Victory Dragon and DNA Surgery. *But if I don't make a move, I might lose my chance to save Mokuba. I've got to act now!* "No ones ambition is greater than mine! I am the greatest in all aspects!" declared Kaiba in a thunderous voice. Pulling the card he had searched for with Apostle of God, he slipped it into the duel disk and activated his other face down card. "I'll cover one card and activate my covered card, Forced Activation! Sacrificing half my life points, I may force the activation of a face down card!"  
  
Kaiba-900=450  
  
"I choose the card I've just set. Reverse card, OPEN! DNA Surgery!" The trap card revealed itself, the image of three surgeons depicted on it. "By naming a sub-type, I may change all monsters on the field to that type. I name the greatest of all type, dragon! Next, I'll split my X-Head Cannon and Z Metal Tank from each other, giving me three monsters. Since they're all dragon type monsters now, I'll take all three of my monsters as sacrifice to summon the monster that embodies all my ambition! VICTORY DRAGON!" Kaiba slammed the card onto the steel plate. The card materialized right behind Kaiba, and in moments shattered into a great golden dragon. The dragon's hide, nails, wings... everything was gold. It was a massive beast, taking up almost the part of the room behind him. Kaiba held his arms wide open, laughing maniacally. In cue to Kaiba's laughter, the dragon leant forward and let out a massive roar in Sol's face, blowing back his red hair. "Victory Dragon's special effect! When he deals direct damage to a players life points, I will automatically win the duel! Victory is now in my grasp! Victory Dragon, ATTACK! VICTORY CRUSHER!" Cried Kaiba as he ordered the assault of his monster. 


	7. Duel 7:Kaiba defeated,Yugi steps up

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Seven – Kaiba defeated! Yugi steps up  
  
"VICTORY CRUSHER!" Cried Kaiba as he ordered his monster to attack. The Dragon shot a golden burst from its mouth. "I told you that you shouldn't have challenged me!" As Sol watched the attack head directly towards him, a sly grin formed on his face.  
  
"Reverse card open." Spoke Sol, stretching a twisted hand towards one of his face down cards. "Wall of Glass!" A Thick wall made of sparkling glass stretched out in front of Sol like a shield. The Victory Dragon's burst attack slammed into the glass with tremendous force, but couldn't penetrate it. "This card creates a thick wall of pristine glass that is treated as a monster with the same attack and defense as the monster attacking it. Your Victory Dragon's attack is 2400 and its defense is 3200. Since the Wall was placed in defense, your Dragon's attack bounced off its defense, causing you to lose the difference to your life points, which is more than you've got left Kaiba." Explained Sol, staring at his opponent through the glass wall.  
  
"No... Mokuba..." muttered Kaiba lifelessly as his life points dropped to 0. He lost... he couldn't save his only brother. Was he really that weak that he couldn't protect his family?  
  
"Now Kaiba, don't look so glum!" spoke Sol as he walked towards Kaiba, the glass wall shattering into thousands of shards, the rest of the images created by the duel disks vanishing. "Don't worry about Mokuba. If do as I say and keep your mouth shut, I might return him to you once this is all over." Sol was now standing before the sinking Kaiba, looking down upon him. "Now come... we have many things to discuss." Spoke Sol, holding a hand out to him. Kaiba looked up at him with lifeless eyes. What else could he do? He was out of options. His only choice was to listen and work for Sol. Narrowing his eyes; he took Sol's hands and pulled himself back up to his feet.  
  
******  
  
The next day...  
  
"What?! Are you serious Yugi?!" shouted Joey, who had risen to his feet, both fists clenched tight in anger. Yugi had gathered his friends together at his house the day after the incident to speak to them about what had happened. Yugi nodded, staring at his best friend.  
  
"Yeah... Right after we spilt up they jumped me and Tea and then challenged me to a duel." As Yugi explained to his friends, he adverted his gaze to his partner, who was leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room. He looked lost in thought over what had occurred. Tristan, who was sitting Indian style on the floor, slammed both his fists into his knees.  
  
"Why is it that you always have people attacking you Yugi? Pegasus, Bakura's evil spirit, Marik and his Rare Hunters... I'm beginning to lose count here!" shouted Tristan. Tea, who was holding a pack of ice to the back of her head, stared at Tristan with beady eyes.  
  
"Wow, losing count after only three people?" joked Tea. While Tristan began to defend himself, Joey began to grow irritated.  
  
"How the hell can you two joke around at a time like this?! Shouldn't we be taking this a little more seriously? I mean, weren't you the one who got their head hurt Tea?" Shot Joey, pointing a finger at her.  
  
Tea looked over to Yugi. He looked so distraught. All these people chasing after him must really be getting to him. People waiting in the dark for him, stalking him in Duel Monster Tournaments, stealing his friends and family's souls. She could only imagine the horrible feeling he must be going through. A few moments of silence had passed, until it was broken by the shouting of Yugi's grandfather Sugoruko.  
  
"Hey, kids! Come down stairs and check this out! Kaiba's on T.V. announcing something!" called Sugoruko from downstairs. This caught the Pharaoh's attention, who had finally broken out of his train of thought.  
  
*Kaiba?* First the incident at night, and now an announcement from Kaiba. He had a feeling that this would be important. Peeling himself away from the wall, he walked over to the side of his partner. *What do you think is going on?* asked the spirit.  
  
*I don't know, but I think we should check what's going on down stairs.* answered Yugi. Both of them nodded in agreement and headed down the stairs after their friends. As the group made it into the living room, they all gathered round the television to see what was going on. Grandpa was sitting on the sofa, leaning closer towards the T.V., remote in hand. "What's going on Grandpa?" asked Yugi, watching Kaiba, whom was dressed in a white suit, getting ready to give an announcement.  
  
"Shh... just watch Yugi." Said Sugoruko.  
  
"Calling all duelists. I'm here to announce a brand new tournament, held by my company Kaiba Corporation. This tournament will be held in the now finished Kaiba Corp Coliseum, located in the center of Domino City. The tournament is held to crown a duelist as "The King of Games". As you may or may not know, Yugi Motou, winner of the Battle City Tournament, is the current reigning "King of Games". He will be invited to participate and defend his title against the challengers."  
  
Everyone immediately fixed their gaze on Yugi, who was staring intensely at the television.  
  
"Anyone willing enough to enter this competition must register at the Kaiba Corp Coliseum and participate in a mini-competition to qualify for the real deal, for a spot in the "KC Duelist League Championship"!  
  
"Duelist League Championship?" whispered Yugi, both him and his counterpart watching on.  
  
I wish all who are entering good luck." And with that said, the broadcast ended. Grandpa held the remote towards the T.V. and turned it off.  
  
"So... Yugi." Grandpa turned his gaze towards his grandson. "Are you going to enter and defend your title?" Everyone leaned in a little closer towards Yugi, waiting to hear his answer.  
  
"... Yes. I will go and defend my title." Answered Yugi with a determined look on his face. His friend's each rested a hand on his shoulder and began offering words of advice, minus Tea. A worried look crept on her face. She knew that something was going on, that it wasn't alright.  
  
"Y-Yugi... I don't think you should enter this tournament..." spoke up Tea. Everyone grew silent; their eye's falling on her. "Just think about. Every time you enter one of these Duel Monsters Tournaments, you get into all kinds of trouble!" said Tea in a voice full of concern. "I don't doubt for a second that those guys that attacked us will be there, waiting for you!" Yugi rose up from the sofa, still sporting his game face.  
  
"All the more reason to enter Tea." Said Yugi. This comment caught everyone off guard. Yugi never really came out and said things like that.  
  
"Yugi..." said Tristan and Joey in response.  
  
"I can't just let people like them push me around anymore. They want to challenge me? Then I accept!" spoke Yugi, hold a fist before. After letting his response sink in, Joey balled up his fists and put on his game face.  
  
"Damn right Yugi! Well go in there headstrong and take 'em all out!" shouted Joey, who was beginning to get all fired up now. Yugi turned to face his best friend, trying to toughen up just like him.  
  
"Yeah!" both of them locked arms. Joey would always be Yugi's best friend, but he was also going in this to win it all. Yugi knew and respected this and welcomed Joey's challenge. While the three men huddled up and began to strategize, Tea looked on in silence. What had happened to Yugi just now? He seemed so brave... just as brave as the spirit that rested within him. Maybe they would be all right. Yugi and Joey were both strong duelists. Together, with their friends cheering them on, they could defeat all adversaries.  
  
"Alright Yugi." Spoke up Tea. "If you're going to enter, I'll be there to cheer you on!" said Tea with a warm smile on her face. Yugi smiled up at her.  
  
"Thanks Tea." The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared beside his counterpart.  
  
*So your going to enter... you know that we probably are going to run into our attackers there, as well as their leader. Your still up for it?* questioned the spirit. The younger Yugi nodded towards his partner which brought a smile to spirits face. *Then I'm with you in this. With me and you working together in this, we'll come out on top!*  
  
The rest of the day was spent on strategizing for the upcoming tournament. The gang would head over to the Coliseum the first thing next morning. 


	8. Duel 8:The Bug and the Sword

Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs  
  
Duel Eight – The Bug and the Sword  
  
It appeared that Kaiba's company had completed the Coliseum during the Battle City finals. The Coliseum loomed over the group, and the roar of the crowd could be heard. Joey, upon hearing the crowd, stepped forward with a fist in the air and his game face on.  
  
"Alright! Now everyone will be able to witness me kickin' Kaiba's butt!" cried Joey. After declaring his future victory, he quickly sped off into the arena, the rest of the gang minus Yugi running after him. The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared from within the Puzzle, resting a firm hand on his partner's shoulder.  
  
What's wrong Yugi? Are you nervous that they'll be a crowd watching us? the spirit asked. His younger counter part shook his head.  
  
Its not that... I was just thinking about what Tea had said yesterday. Those men will probably be here waiting for me, right? Yugi looked up to his companion with a concerned look on his face. The spirit fixed his gaze on the massive coliseum.  
  
Definitely. But we will be there to bring them down. With us working together, no one can defeat us. A smile crept on Yugi's face. The spirit always knew what to say to inspire him. Let's go Yugi. and with that said, the two made their way into the Coliseum.  
  
The Coliseum had changed much since the last time he had been here. Ahead of him was an open gate leading to the dueling area, which was over looked by the crowd. Where he was standing, the part of the coliseum where the crowd sat was above him. There were security guards at both sides of the entrance to the dueling area, and behind him at both ends of the entrance into the Coliseum. To his left was a rather large booth, where many people gathered around. A few of those people were his friends. Yugi walked over towards them. Tea had turned around just in time to see Yugi approach them.  
  
"Yugi, this is the registration booth. We had a little trouble, but we've gotten Joey registered for competition." Explained Tea. Joey looked like he was a little upset: He was being held back by Tristan as he screamed various threats towards the person behind the booth, who seemed very nervous about the whole thing. Yugi grinned, guessing Kaiba had made it a tough ordeal for Joey to compete. "Well, all that's left is for you to register Yugi. Go ahead." Tea added with a smile to her short friend. Yugi stepped up the booth and cleared his throat.  
  
"Good morning. I'm Yugi Motou, and I'm here to-"before he could finish, he was cut off by a familiar voice.  
  
"No need for that Yugi. I've already had you registered for competition." Spoke Kaiba as he walked to the booth, now dressed in his traditional white coat, duel disk fastened onto his wrist. Yugi watched his as he drew closer.  
  
"Kaiba..." it was all he could say... He hadn't seen Kaiba and his brother since the end of the Battle City finals. The spirit watched on with intrigue. Kaiba turned to the person behind the booth.  
  
"I'm here to register for competition." Spoke Kaiba, much to the shock of his employee.  
  
"A-are you sure Mr. Kaiba?!" stuttered the employee. Kaiba narrowed his gaze upon the man.  
  
"I hired you to take orders, not to ask questions. Now sign me up." Kaiba took a few steps away from Yugi and the booth before coming to a halt. "Good luck Yugi. You'll need it." With that said, He continued to walk off from Yugi and co. He may have been ordered to create this tournament, but Sol never mentioned anything about him not entering. Sol may have his brother, but he still called the shots around here. Perhaps an opportunity would present itself during the length of the tournament to take control of the situation.  
  
Kaiba's entering... perhaps he still harbors some negativity from Battle City. spoke the Pharaoh to his partner. Yugi watched Kaiba as he disappeared into the back. He had a strange feeling that something was bothering him. He'd have to ask him some other time. Meanwhile, Joey had finally broken free and had approached Yugi.  
  
"Kaiba, that jerk!" cried Joey. "I vow to eliminate Kaiba from this tournament!" declared Joey, holding a fist above his head. Just as he had finished declaring his future victory, a familiar voice rang from behind the group.  
  
"Hyo hyo hyo! Let's see if you can even make it that far in the tournament to face Kaiba!" It didn't take the two very long to realize who the voice belonged to. The slowly turned to face Weevil Underwood, the blue haired Insect lover. Naturally, he was accompanied by his friend Rex Raptor, who was grinning pretty wide. Weevil pointed a finger in Joey's direction, a look of hatred sweeping over his face. "Wheeler! I want back my Insect Queen!" Joey folded his arms against his chest as the duelist demanded that card that he had lost to him back.  
  
"You lost your Insect Queen to me, despite your cheating. You want your Queen back so much? Then you can duel me for it." Said Joey, a serious expression on his face. Weevil narrowed his eyes as he glared at the blonde haired duelist. "This match won't be for the tournament though. We can handle this match right outside the Coliseum." Weevil thought it over for a few moments. His Insect Queen could really help his deck for the tournament... and the duel didn't count towards the tournament, so if he somehow lost, he wouldn't be eliminated.  
  
"Fine, let's have our duel! I'll have my Insect Queen back in no time! I've picked up a few new bugs that I'm dying to show you!" said Weevil. The two and co headed out of the Coliseum, making their way past a wave of people entering the arena. They came to a halt several feet from the entrance of the arena, Joey and his friends on one side, Weevil and Rex on the other. Both of their Duel Disks swung over, switching into duel mode.  
  
"DUEL!" the two shouted, their life points rising up to 4000.  
  
"Come on Joey!" cheered Tea. Tristan put on his game face, mimicking Joey.  
  
"Show 'em what your made of Joey!" cheered on Tristan. Yugi sat down on a piece of stone that surrounded some trees, watching on.  
  
"I'll make the first move Wheeler! Draw!" cried Weevil as he pulled his sixth card off the top of his deck. "I'll place a monster face down and set a card." The image of two face down cards appeared, hovering off of the ground before him. "Turn end." Weevil added, fixing his glasses.  
  
"It's my turn! Draw!" declared Joey as he pulled another card from the top of his deck, making his hand six. Pulling a different card from his hand, he placed it onto his duel disk face up. "I'll summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" The green and yellow pint-sized warrior appeared onto the field before Joey. Pointing to his Rocket Warrior, he declared his next action. "Rocket Warrior! Change into invincible mode!" The warrior changed into what his name implied. It pulled itself together into the form of a rocket. "When Rocket Warrior enters invincible mode, he cannot receive any damage. Also, when he attacks a monster, he can reduce that monsters attack by 500 points! Go, Rocket Warrior! Attack his face down monster!" The Rocket sped off at the face down card, much to the delight of Weevil, who had already begun to activate his face down card.  
  
"Reverse card, open! Caught by a Spider!" The card rose up to reveal itself. The image depicted on the card was that of a soldier stuck into a giant Spider's web. "When a monster attacks an insect type monster, that monster shifts to defense and cannot change its position." Explained Weevil as he fixed his glasses once more. "But, I cannot do anything to stop your attack, so..." said Weevil in a low tone of voice as he reached to flip over his card, revealing the creature. Joey gritted his teeth as his Rocket Warrior flew into a blue and green insect, puncturing it with the horn on the top of its head. The insect let out a shrill cry as the warrior retreated back to its side of the field, now in defense. As the Insect shattered, a green moth appeared where it had once stood. "You destroyed my Howling Insect, which triggered its special effect. It allows my to special summon an insect monster with 1500 attack points or lower from my deck, so I've chosen my Petite Moth. You're familiar with my Petite Moth, right Wheeler? Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil. Joey examined his hand carefully. Nothing that could stop his insect at the time. He knew what was coming next.  
  
"Turn end..." muttered Joey. Weevil laughed once more as he reached to draw another card.  
  
Tea gasped as her friend ended his turn abruptly. She had watched Joey get stuck by Weevil's tricks in the past. "C'mon Joey! You'll find a way out of this!" As Tea and Tristan continued to cheer on, Yugi watched silently along with his partner. The spirit spoke first.  
  
Do you think Joey will have a hard time with this? asked the Pharaoh. Little Yugi shook his head in response.  
  
I know Joey will find a way to crush Weevil's Great Moth strategy. I believe in him. answered Yugi.  
  
"My turn... draw!" exclaimed Weevil as he picked up another card from his deck. "First, I'll switch my Petite Moth to defense, then... I'll equip him with this..." Weevil selected another card from his hand and flashed it to all to see. Joey didn't have to look. He knew what was coming. "I'll equip my Moth with the Cocoon of Evolution! This will raise its defense to 2200 points. After six turns, my Cocoon will hatch my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth! Well, that'll do it for my turn. Make your move." Just as Weevil passed the turn over to Joey, a smile crept onto Joey's face. "Hey... what's so funny Wheeler?!" snapped Weevil, holding a fist out in his direction.  
  
"Do you think you can beat me with your same tired tactics Underwood?" Weevil was taken aback by Joey's words. "I am a much stronger duelist since the last time we've dueled and I can't be trapped by such tricks like this for long. So, prepare to be crushed! Draw!" Joey yanked the top card from his deck, then pulling it in front of his face to examine. The card he had drawn brought a smile to his face. "I'll crush your strategy with this card!" declared Joey, thrust the card forth to show Weevil. Weevil's eyes widened as he caught sight of the card his opponent now held. "I activate Giant Trunade!" Joey slipped it into a magic and trap slot, activate his card. A Hurricane began to spiral in the center of the field, sending dust flying all about, Tea struggling to hold down her skirt. "From the look on your face, I think you understand how this card works. Both of us have to pick up all of our magic and trap cards on the field and add them back to our hands. I may have no magic and trap card, but you've got two. Your Caught by a Spider card and..." Joey pointed a finger towards the Cocoon of Evolution. "Your Cocoon!" The image of the cards were swept up in the massive Hurricane, then carried off into the sky, never to be seen again. An annoyed Weevil pulled his cards from the magic and trap slots and added them to his hand.  
  
"It doesn't matter much Wheeler! I'll just play them again on my next turn!" spoke a once again confident Weevil. Joey waved a finger out in front of him.  
  
"Now, here's the rest of my killer combo! I activate Card Destruction! When this card is activated, both of us have to discard our hand and draw the same number of cards we have discarded!" explained Joey as he collected his hand of five cards into one pile, then placed it into his graveyard. Running his thumb along the side of his deck till he felt five cards, he pulled them off of his deck. A stunned Weevil stared in disbelief. His entire strategy had been crushed by one move. Perhaps his new hand could provide a new strategy, he thought to himself. He placed his six cards into the graveyard and drew a fresh new set of cards.  
  
"Humph... well, your Rocket Warrior still cannot attack since it had been affected by my trap card." Spoke Weevil, pointed to his opponent's monster, which was held down by the spider's sticky solution.  
  
"That's alright. I've got that covered already. I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" said Joey as his feline warrior appeared beside his Rocket Warrior. "I'll sacrifice my Rocket Warrior to my Panther Warrior!" The warrior's soul entered the sword of his comrade, giving it a blue hue. "Panther Warrior, attack his Petite Moth!" The Black Panther leapt forward and sliced the bug right in half, green blood splattering out of both ends just before it shattered. Weevil growled as his bug was destroyed. He had an open field now. No magic, trap or monsters, and Joey had his Panther Warrior, which had a 2000 attack score. He'd have to wait and see what he'd draw for his turn, before he made any decisions. "I'll set one card face down. Turn end!" declared Joey, holding a hand out to his opponent as he passed his turn over to Weevil.  
  
"It's my turn... draw!" shouted Weevil as he picked up another card. Weevil knew his cards well, and could cook up a plan with ease. "First, I'll place a monster face down. Next, I'll play this." Pulling another card from his hand, he placed it into a vacant slot in his duel disk. "I'll play my Insect Barrier. As long as this card is on the field, all of your insect monsters cannot attack." Joey grinned from ear to ear as he watched Weevil play his Insect Barrier card.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Weevil, but I don't have any insects in my deck. I took out your Insect Queen last night!" said Joey. Weevil quickly grew upset as he heard Joey's words.  
  
"You idiot! How could you not use my Insect Queen?! I knew you wouldn't respect her well enough! I'll set another card face down! Turn end!" shouted Weevil with anger. This added more fuel to the fire. If Wheeler wasn't going to use his Insect Queen, he'd just have to take it back.  
  
"It's my move! Draw!" said Joey as he added another card to his hand. Alright! If Weevil's going to continue to play monster's face down, then this'll help!, Joey thought to himself. "I'll summon Xarion Universe in attack mode!" said Joey as he summoned his monster. Emerging from its card was an armor clad centaur carrying a pike. Weevil fixed his gaze on this new monster. It also had an impressive attack score, as well as defense. "Xarion Universe! Attack his face down monster!" The centaur monster trotted up to the face down monster which revealed itself as a familiar little grass hopper. "Dammit!" muttered Joey as he realized what the little bug was.  
  
"Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil, a sinister look on his face. "You've destroyed my Pinch Hopper, which activates its special ability. When this card is destroyed, I can special summon any insect from my hand of any level, without a sacrifice!" Just as Weevil finished explain his card's effect for everyone, the chime of his life points rang.  
  
Joey- 4000  
  
Weevil-3800  
  
"W-what's going on Wheeler?! My card was in defense!" questioned Weevil, pointing a twisted finger at grinning opponent.  
  
"Xarion Universe's special ability; I can drop his attack by 400 points to allow him to do breakthrough damage." Explained Joey. All he had to worry about now was what monster Weevil would summon with his Pinch Hopper's effect.  
  
"It doesn't really matter now anyway. I'm going to win in several turns with this! Go, Insect Princess!" screamed Weevil as he slapped his Insect Princess onto the field. A giggling, slender, four armed green human like insect appeared from its card. The Insect danced about elegantly, spreading a sort of pollen about the field. Weevil marveled in the beauty of his insect, while everyone else stared in awe. Joey swatted through the air, brushing pollen out of his face. Weevil's Insect Princess had 1900 attack power, while his Panther Warrior had 2000.  
  
"Now, I'll devote Xarion Universe to Panther Warrior!" Joey's Centaur creature burst into a ball of light, which spiraled into the Panther's Saber. "Panther Warrior, attack his Insect Princess!" With a roar, the Panther leapt towards the multi-appendage insect, only to run into a barrier of several beams of light. "Eh?"  
  
"Hyo hyo hyo! Reverse card, open..." whispered Weevil, fixing his glasses once again. "DNA Surgery. This card allows me to alter the type of monsters on the field. I choose insect, of course." Spoke Weevil slyly. A pair of butterfly like wings tore out of the back of the panther, as well as a pair of feelers, obviously suggesting that his Panther Warrior had been affected. Joey gritted his teeth... look what he had gotten himself into.  
  
"So this is why he played his Insect Barrier..." Joey whispered to himself. "Turn end..."  
  
"It's my turn. Draw!" shouted Weevil. Pulled a card from his hand, he placed it face down on the plate of his duel disk. "I'll play this monster face down, and then I'll play this. Shallow Grave! Both of us can resurrect a monster from our graveyard. I choose this..." He reached over to his graveyard as his cards shot out. Fishing through them, he extracted his Howling Insect and placed it in defense. Joey reached into his discard pile and pulled out a card.  
  
"I choose my Garoozis... in defense." He placed the Garoozis on his plate face up in defense.  
  
"Hyo hyo hyo! You fool! You fell right in my trap!" cried Weevil as the pollen filled the field once again. The infected Garoozis pulled himself out of defense into attack mode. "My Insect Princess' special ability; all insect monsters on your side of the field must remain in attack mode!" explained Weevil. He laughed once more at Joey's expression. "Now, Insect Princess! Destroy his Garoozis! Poison Pollen!" The insect did as commanded, showering the lizard with poisonous pollen, shattering it.  
  
Joey- 3900  
  
Weevil- 3800  
  
"Now starts my Princess' second ability!" said Weevil. The Insect Princess began to giggle again as her attack points rose.  
  
Insect Princess- 1900500=2400  
  
"What?!" Joey stammered. Weevil's Princess was now stronger than his Panther Warrior, and he couldn't shift his Panther Warrior to defense.  
  
"Well, that'll do it for my turn." Spoke Weevil slyly. "Let's see what you can do Wheeler..." teased Weevil. Joey had such a serious expression on his face now, his blonde hair hanging over his eyes.  
  
"Draw..." He pulled a card off of his deck and examined it. The card he had just drawn brought life back to him. Regaining his posture, he continued to stare at the card he'd drawn. Red Eyes... Black Dragon... Joey looked back to his friend Yugi, who was smiling at him. Yugi gave him a thumbs up, and Joey returned the favor. "Alright Weevil, here's what I got... I'll set one card face down. Turn end..." Both Weevil and Rex laughed aloud.  
  
"That's all you got Wheeler?! What a loser!" Rex managed between laughing. Joey jammed a finger in Rex's direction, wearing his game face once again.  
  
"Shut up! Unless you want some too!" shouted Joey.  
  
"You talk as if you're winning this match! My Insect Queen will be back in my deck in no time! Draw!" Weevil admired the card he had drawn for a few moments. "Now I'll start the magic card, Necromancy!" Joey flinched as he gazed at the card Weevil had played. He knew what this card did... it revived four of your opponent's monsters in defense mode. Normally that would be good, but in this case it wouldn't. They would just become insects, and then be forced into attack mode. Four gleaming cards shot out of Joey's graveyard, each representing a monster which had already fallen. Gazroozis, Xarion Universe, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard all appeared onto his field, only to become infected by Weevil's trap.  
  
Damn... what can I do? Joey thought to himself. What would Yugi say to him? "Don't give up yet! There's always a chance, if you just believe in the heart of the cards!"Yeah, he'd say something like that... wait... there was one last chance!  
  
"Now my Insect Princess! Attack his--?!" Weevil's attack was cut off by Joey's voice.  
  
"Not so fast Underwood! Reverse card, open! Joy of Rebirth! I can tell by your expression, that you're not familiar with this card, so allow me to inform you! When a monster is special summon from the graveyard and is under an attack, this trap card cancels the attack and ends that player's turn." Weevil looked irate now, half his face a beet red.  
  
"H-how did you know I would pull something like that?! You must be cheating Wheeler!" cried Weevil as he shook a fist out to him.  
  
"Don't go callin' me a cheater because I found a way out! This is it Weevil! Draw!" Joey pulled a card off the top of his deck and, after glancing at it quickly, immediately went to use it. "I activate the magic card Magic Stone Excavation. After I discard two cards from my hand..." Joey did so in between his explanation, sending two of his cards into the card graveyard. "I can take back any magic card from my graveyard. The card I choose is this!" As the card he desired ejected itself from the graveyard, Joey pulled it out and activated it. "Giant Trunade! You remember this, eh?" Weevil chuckled as he picked up his magic and trap cards.  
  
"Hyo hyo hyo! It doesn't really matter Wheeler! I've got the strongest monster on the field now. Even if you can attack, it wouldn't do you any good! And once it's my turn again, I'll just restart my Insect Princess strategy."  
  
"Now, I sacrifice Garoozis, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard to summon this! Gilford the Lightning!" A bolt of lightning smashed into ground before Joey, sending a powerful gust out. As the lightning dissipated, a massive swordsman was left standing, which had let out a loud battle cry. "Now starts the special effect of my monster! If I've summoned him by sacrificing three monsters, he can destroy all of your monsters with his effect! Go, Gilford! Let 'em have it!" Weevil shook his head in disbelief as the warrior retrieved his blade from his scarab. The sword sliced through the air, sending a burst of lightning towards Weevil's monsters. His Insect Princess let a shrill cry just before it shattered and was no more. Now it was time to add insult to injury! "Now I'll activate the magic card, Premature Burial! After giving up 800 life points..." Everyone heard the chime of his life point's decrease. "I can special summon a monster sleeping in my graveyard. The monster I choose is the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The dark dragon appeared in a shining burst beside the lightning swordsman. It leaned forward and let out a ground shaking roar.  
  
Joey- 3100  
  
Weevil- 3800  
  
"No no no... I had everything worked out so perfectly!" whined Weevil as Joey's monsters gave him a stare down. I looked like he wouldn't be winning back his Queen anytime soon.  
  
"Go, Gilford the Lightning and Red Eyes! Direct attack!" Both creatures did as told, and attacked consecutively for a whopping 5200.  
  
Joey- 3100  
  
Weevil- 0  
  
Once Weevil's life points reached zero, Joey collected his cards and added them back into his deck. Everyone came over to congratulate him on his victory, while Rex walked over and tried to consul his whimpering friend. While the group was still outside, a Kaiba Corp staff member stepped outside and addressed them all.  
  
"Ahem... the tournament is about to begin. Would you all please enter the building?"  
  
It looks like this is really it partner. Let's go out there and win this thing! said a determined Yugi to his partner. The spirit nodded, wondering who they would face in the first leg of the tournament. 


End file.
